Committee for the Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Project, Villa Charities, to be presented Medaglia d'Oro al Merito Civile
The award will be received on behalf of fallen workers and their families – one of the highest honours given by Italy and first time it's being awarded in Canada
TORONTO, April 23, 2018 /CNW/ - After arduous years of painstaking research, the Committee for the Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Project, under the banner of its sponsor Villa Charities, with the support of the Embassy of Italy in Canada and the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto, and many community and corporate donors, poignantly unveiled The Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Wall on the grounds of Columbus Centre on April 28, 2016. The unveiling commemorated nearly one thousand Italian Fallen Workers who had been verified by that date, as having lost their lives to workplace tragedies over a span of a century of immigration to our great Canadian nation.
On April 28, 2017, another six hundred verified names of Italian Fallen Workers were formally added to the Memorial Wall and duly recognized. Tragically, the staggering statistics have far surpassed the original design of the Memorial Wall, which no longer has space for the increasing number of Italian Fallen Workers who have been discovered during the continuing research phase of this invaluable project.
On April 28, 2018, the families of the fallen workers, the Committee for the Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Project, Villa Charities and our community at large, will be presented the Medaglia d'Oro al Merito Civile, one of the highest honours given by Italy and being awarded in Canada for the first time ever. It is being awarded in memory of the extraordinary efforts made by Italian workers who, with valiant determination, exceptional abnegation and the extraordinary efforts of their hard work, often in circumstances of great difficulty, and with a great tribute of lives paid, made vast contributions to the social and economic progress of Canada, bringing great honour to Italy as a whole.
This esteemed award will be presented to our community on Saturday April 28, 2018 at 3 p.m. at The Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Wall, Columbus Centre, Toronto.
For further information on the development of this incredible historical project, please visit: http://www.monumentoaicaduti.com/index.html.
ABOUT VILLA CHARITIES
Villa Charities Inc. is a registered charity and non-profit organization that celebrates and promotes the Italian Heritage, Culture, Language, Arts, Food and Family Values. For almost 50 years across the GTA, Villa Charities has provided care for seniors and offered educational and cultural programs in music, dance, visual arts, culinary arts, athletics and more. The Villa Charities family includes Villa Colombo Homes for the Aged Inc. in Toronto; Villa Colombo Vaughan/Di Poce Centre; Caboto Terrace, Casa Del Zotto and Casa Abruzzo apartments for independent seniors; the Columbus Centre; and Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery. For more information, visit www.villacharities.com
SOURCE Villa Charities Inc.
Jessica Patriquin, MAVERICK, 416-640-5525 Ext. 230, [email protected]; Kathleen Sloan, Director, Marketing and Communications, Villa Charities, 416-789-7011 Ext. 309, [email protected]
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